


Darkness 'Till Dawn

by Butterfly_girl



Category: Final Fantasy XV
Genre: Angst with a Happy Ending, Canon Compliant, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Established Relationship, First Meetings, Hopeful Ending, M/M, References to Depression
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-03-02
Updated: 2018-03-02
Packaged: 2019-03-26 05:25:51
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,803
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13851030
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Butterfly_girl/pseuds/Butterfly_girl
Summary: Snippets of Prompto and Ignis' relationship over the course of several years, seen through Prompto's eyes





	Darkness 'Till Dawn

**Author's Note:**

> I've had this idea in my head for a little while and, although it didn't quite turn out the way I wanted it to, I thought I'd share anyway.

** Autumn **

Prompto would say that he found joy in all the seasons equally but, in truth, his favourite was autumn. It was appropriate, therefore, that it was during October that he would first meet the man he was destined to fall in love with. He was sitting on a park bench when he saw him, waiting for Noct to finish one of his important meetings so that they could go to the arcade. He didn’t mind that he had to wait. He had his camera, and he was hoping that this was the day he would finally be able to catch the essence of his favourite season on film. He had taken lots of pictures but, so far, none of them had captured what he considered the real beauty of Autumn.

A single golden leaf pirouetted down an invisible spiral of breeze, spinning through the air as it let itself be carried down. It shook slightly, as if it could have been whisked away any second by the grip of an icy wind, but it kept floating down the twirling course. It blew past Prompto’s face and landed delicately on the ground, the shiny, vibrant colour standing out against the amber and bronzes beneath it. It was so perfect, settled there on its blazing blanket of leaves, that he wanted to reach down and pick it up, holding it close to his heart, smoothing out any creases. But instead he left it. Something told him that it belonged there, this corpse of what was once summer.

He looked up, his concentration disturbed by the crunching of leaves, to see a man standing a few metres away, staring off into the distance as if in a dream. He was the most beautiful person that Prompto had ever seen and, no matter how hard he tried to turn his attention back to the leaves that he had been trying to photograph, he couldn’t tear his eyes away. A green scarf was wrapped loosely around the man’s neck, emphasising the sharpness of his jaw and bringing out the emerald-green of his sparkling eyes. A soft glow seemed to emanate out of his skin in the afternoon sunlight and, for a moment, Prompto wondered if he was seeing an angel. 

As if in a trance, he lifted his camera, pointing it towards the man. He smiled softly as he heard the familiar click of the shutter, convinced, even before looking, that he’d finally got the shot he wanted. He turned the camera around to view the picture, his smile widening. Through the slight mist that hung in the air, the scarlet blanked of leaves appeared as little more than a red haze. The man took centre stage, surrounded by a multitude of cascading gold, red and brown leaves, falling down around him like multicoloured rain. This was what Prompto had been looking for. It was perfect.

********

**  
Winter  
**

Winter with Ignis was wonderful. The bare trees, naked without their leaves, lined the path that ran through the park and past the bench where Prompto had first seen him just over a year earlier. They walked together now, gloved hand in hand, their breaths rising in visible puffs to join the darkening, clouded evening sky. Ahead of them, the path glistened like white quartz, ice crystals sparkling against the light from the street lamps. There was a freezing chill in the air that brought crispness to the leftover Autumn leaves, bejewelled with frost, that crunched underneath their feet as they made their way home. Prompto could hear his own teeth chattering as the cold seeped into his gloves, freezing his fingers until they were completely stiff and ceased to bend properly. Ignis gripped his hand tighter in his own, squeezing it gently before turning to give him a warm smile that suddenly made him forget how cold he was. Prompto lifted his camera, fighting to hold it steady in spite of the shivers than ran through his body. He grinned to himself as he heard the click of the shutter, indicating that he had captured another memory to look back on in years to come.

As they turned and headed towards home, Prompto observed that the street looked like an unfinished painting. So much of the canvas was still perfectly white, as if waiting for the artist’s hand to return. Rosy cheeked, they continued to march briskly to keep warm, their legs moving in unison as if they had been made to always walk side by side. Prompto pulled his woollen hat down tightly over his reddened ears and tightened his scarf over his blue-tinged lips. He could feel his nose, numb after being exposed to the evening chill for so long, beginning to run but he didn’t care. He didn’t care about anything when he and Ignis were together. 

They stumbled in through the door to their apartment, the biting cold having chilled Prompto’s fingers into such clumsy numbness that it had taken him several attempts to unlock the door. He shrugged off his jacket, hanging it up in the hallway next to Ignis’, before making his way into the living room and flopping down onto the sofa. Ignis joined him, wrapping his arms around him and pulling him close enough that their cheeks were touching, the touch of his lover’s body against his own sending sparks of electricity across his skin. In the darkness, Ignis’ cuddles felt like a little touch of heaven: warm, together, cozy. Prompto found himself wishing that he could make this night last forever, just so that he could stay close to Ignis for longer, safe in his embrace. The arms wrapped around him brought him a peace that he had never felt before. One that he never thought he would be able to feel. In his lover’s embrace, Prompto started to believe that there was nothing out there to fear- whatever his nightmares tried to force him into believing. There was only sunshine, kindness and happiness. Life couldn’t get any better than this.

********

**  
Spring  
**

Prompto could never have guessed the pain that spring would bring. The winter wind had lost its bite, that much was true, and in the grass waved the precocious yellow bloom of the daffodils. However, the beauty ended there. From the hill, he could see that the once thriving city was now no more than ash and charcoal. The air was heavy with the smell of burnt flesh and smoke hung in a haze that partially obscured the blood-red sun. Insomnia stood like a skeleton in the distance, shielded by the veil of thick, grey smoke that billowed into the sky above it.

The rain fell softly as if it knew of the hardships both behind and ahead. Each droplet alighted on Prompto’s skin with just enough coolness to command his mind to the present, to pull him away from the pain of past memories and the uncertainty of what was to come. The beads over his face, more numerous than even the freckles that covered his skin, joined to wash over him in a delicate cascade of trickles. He raised his eyes once more to the grey blanket that covered the burning city. There was more pain to come before the skies cleared, of that he could be sure. 

There was, however, something soothing about the rain, floating down in gentle waves as if gravity was a sweet beckoning serenade. It mingled with his tears, washing his face of the sweat and dirt, droplets clinging to his lashes. He didn’t know if he had the right to mourn, but he couldn’t stop the tears from falling, salty tracks blending into the fresh sky-fallen trickles. He looked across at Noct and Gladio, trying to imagine what pain his two friends must be feeling. The pinkness of Noct’s eyes gave away his sadness, and Prompto forced himself to look away, to let his friend mourn in peace. 

He felt Ignis’ hands grasp his shoulders from behind, a firmness to his touch that made Prompto feel safe. He turned around and wrapped his arms around his lover’s neck, burying his head in his chest and letting the tears fall freely from his eyes. It felt comforting, reassuring somehow, to have his lover so close to him, and he knew that Ignis would never judge him, would never question the validity of his mourning.

Even though Prompto knew that everything had changed, as long he had Ignis by his side, he honestly believed that he could get through anything.

********

**  
Summer  
**

By the time summer arrived, they had reached Cape Caem- their final stop before reaching Altissia- and much of the unhappiness of spring had faded, leaving only small traces behind, more noticeable some days than others. Today was one of the happier days. Noct was fishing, Gladio was reading and Prompto was sitting peacefully on the shore, the soft, golden sand still comfortingly warm from the heat of the day. The chill that hung in the early evening air as the sun began to disappear caused him to shiver slightly, and he stretched one arm across the sand to coax Ignis towards him. He felt his lover slide closer to him and place one hand on top of his as it lay in the sand, lacing their fingers together like the pieces of a puzzle. Prompto leaned his head on his shoulder and smiled to himself as they watched the sea together, both allowing themselves to become lost in the rhythmic percussion of the waves against the sand. 

Prompto tilted his head to look up at Ignis whose eyes were set steady on the horizon, and thought about how beautiful he looked, his face aglow with the last orange rays before twilight beckoned the stars. The edges of his lips were turned up in some semblance of smile, just enough to show that he was enjoying his thoughts, whatever they might be. Prompto shuffled still closer to Ignis, yet remained silent, allowing them both to remain lost in the moment a while longer. 

They continued to sit there hand in hand as the yellow ball of fire changed to hues of orange and then almost tangerine. The clouds were pink cotton-candy, as though they were blushing at the warm caress of the sun, and silhouettes of birds flew home across a sky that was now magenta in colour. The dusky pink of the sky intensified and Prompto knew that, in just a few moments, the largest star of all would set, giving way to thousands of others.

By this time, the sun was half hidden below the horizon but its reflection in the sea made it look whole. Prompto met Ignis’ eyes, sparkling in the remains of the day’s light, and their lips brushed together in the most delicate of kisses. In the same way that the sea now completes the sun, Prompto thought, _you_ are the one that completes me. For once, his camera lay abandoned by his side. He knew that he wouldn’t need a photo to remember this moment…

********

**  
Autumn  
**

Prompto no longer found enjoyment in the beauty of autumn, instead seeing only sadness and despair in the death of the falling leaves as they seemed to bid farewell to the sweetness of summer. Where the leaves had once been a song for him to dance to, there was now only silence and pain. There was no reason for him to dance any more. 

Everything had changed since the summer. Noct was gone, swallowed by the crystal. And, with him, every last trace of happiness and laughter had followed. He no longer took photographs- there was nobody to show them to now anyway. And he couldn’t bear to look back himself. The memories, the reminders of more joyful times, were too painful. It hurt too much to remember what life had been like before. In this all consuming sadness, Prompto couldn’t allow himself to consider either the past or the future. It took all his strength just to manage the present. 

Every day was measured from the moment of waking into this new reality to the moment when his body could fight no more, until sleep came to rest his weary mind. Each day he found himself greeting the sun like a climber greets their ropes, fingers holding on, gripping tightly in spite of the pain. He craved the fall but, as much as he wanted to, he was too scared to let go.

The sadness flowed through his veins and deadened his mind. It was like a poison to his spirit, dulling him, killing off his other emotions until it was the only one that remained. It was as if a black mist had settled upon him, refusing to shift and, no matter how bright the day was, he would feel no sun and hear no bird song.

Ignis may have been the one who was blind, but Prompto was also living in perpetual darkness. The world was lost to him and he knew of nothing that would bring it back into focus.

********

**  
Winter  
**

The next ten years seemed to pass both slowly and quickly. Prompto often felt like he was drowning with no hope of being saved. He could sense the blackness of his memories beginning to spread through his mind, taking over, clouding his thoughts and taking him back to places that he never wanted to revisit, desperately reminding him of things that he wanted to forget. But Ignis was always there beside him, his love and patience seemingly unbreakable. Prompto allowed himself to relax in his lover’s warm embrace, the strong arms that surrounded him a protective shield that caused the world to melt away.

There were many nights when he would find himself shaking and trembling as he awoke in the darkness, pressing the palms of his hands to his ears to try and block out the remnants of the screams that haunted his dreams. He just wanted them to go away. Was that too much to ask? But each time he reached that moment where he felt he would finally break, the moment where he feared all hope was lost, he would hear a voice calling his name like a ray of light in the darkness, guiding him back to reality. Prompto knew he was safe when he felt Ignis take his hands in his own, pulling him into his arms like a child, telling him that everything would be alright. He was Prompto’s anchor. He was the one that gave him hope when the darkness crept in.

********

**  
Spring  
**

At last spring arrived, breathing warm winds over the desolate landscape. The white blanket that had been so suffocating throughout the winter months melted away, allowing the evergreens and spruces to scent the air with their new growth. The disheveled grasses soon became lush, erasing not only the memory of their wintry selves, but some of the pain and sadness of Prompto’s own winter. The trees budded with leaves and blossom, and the harsh sleet that had seemed never-ending throughout the winter months became soft rain.

They found that Ignis was still able to experience the beauty of the new season, of the dawn, even without his vision. With eyes closed, he was able to feel the breeze kiss him more warmly that the cold winter chill, his hands joined with Prompto’s as- together- they explored the overhanging branches of trees to find the swelling buds- buds that would soon crack open to release the soft velvety leaves within. By the time spring became summer, Ignis knew all the flowers by their scents alone and could identify the call of each bird species better than Prompto could identify them by sight.

Back in Cape Caem, dawn itself sent shimmering rays over the placid ocean, bestowing a golden path from the shore to the horizon. Prompto blinked towards the sun that brought him a day that he had never been promised, but was glad to see. He smiled to himself as he thought back to that moment many years ago, the day that he had laid eyes on Ignis for the first time. Sitting here now, hand in hand as they watched the sunrise, that moment seemed so long ago. But as he stole a glance at his lover, skin glowing in the amber rays of the morning sun, he felt like nothing had changed. He was still the most beautiful person that Prompto had ever seen. He was still perfect. 

He let the moment sink in, let it soothe him from his core right out to where the warm rays kissed his skin. The return of the dawn meant that a new beginning was possible and possibilities meant hope. And as long as he had Ignis, he had everything he could ever want.

**Author's Note:**

> Come and chat on [tumblr](https://www.tumblr.com/dashboard)


End file.
